Keeper inserter



1311.2, 1940. H W` KULP 2,185,346

KEEPER INSERTER Filed April l5, 1958 /a/cu-r) Patented Jan. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFHCE KEEPER INSERTER Application April 13, 1938, Serial No. 201,854

8 Claims.

This invention relates to valve keeper inserters and is primarily intended for use in inserting and positioning the removable locking means cooperating with the lower end portions of the valve 5 stem to limit the downward movement of the spring retainer or washer in connection with the operations necessary in the grinding or replacement of the poppet valves in internal ycombustion engines.

In recent years it has been the practice to place the valve assembly of internal combustion engines, as used in automobiles, within the engine block, permitting access thereto through a hole or port normally covered by a plate or cover.

u At erst this hole was of ampie width to permit convenient access, however the size of this hole has recently been decreasing while the number of accessories has increased, rendering access to the valve stems, springs, retainers and locks increasingly difiicult.

In addition to the above there has been a tendency to place automobile motors in a constantly lower position to lower the center of gravity of the automobile as a whole, thus greatly adding to the dilculties already enumerated. In a number of automobiles now manufactured the motor has been mounted so low that access to the valves and lower part of the motor may not be had merely by lifting the hood of the automobile but instead it has been found necessary to provide a removable apron or cover between the fender and the motor to permit such access, thus making it necessary t0 work through two openings, the opening provided by removal of the apron and the valve assembly hole or port, in order to gain access to the valve assembly.

In a number of automobile engines it is now usual to provide split conical locking means or members normally pressed radially inward to- 40 ward each other by a cooperating conical face of the retainer to force and keep said locking members or means or portions thereof in a groove or radially inward of an enlarged lower end of the valve stem, so that the replacement of these 45 locking members is rather a difficult task often requiring a number of attempts, such attempts often resulting in the dropping of said locking members or means into some inaccessible part of the motor.

Also, after placing the locking members into position about the stem it has been dicult to retain them in position while the retainer or washer is lowered thereover to force them radially into position. This has been particularly true where one of said locking members or keepers is slightly out of position when the attempt is made to lower the retainer thereover, since the retainer will strike against any projecting portions thereof and force them still further out of position, thus necessitating another attempt.

The present invention has been developed with the above considerations in View and has primarily for its objects, to provide a tool of the above nature which may more easily be operated around obstructions; to provide in such a tool operating 10 means requiring extremely little space and which may be bent around obstacles without impairing the efciency thereof; to provide such a tool which may either be operated from a position near the inner portion thereof or from means disposed at the outer or rear portion thereof; to provide such a tool which may be utilized as either a one-handed or two-handed tool as desired; to provide in such a tool means for adjusting the amount of movement of the moving parts in accor-dance with the space available, the size and arrangement of the valve stem to which the keepers are to be applied, and/or the desire of the user; and to provide such a tool which is of simple construction and operation, of pleasing appearance, and may be cheaply constructed by suitable well known sheet metal stamping operations.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 represents a top plan view of a tool 30 embodying my invention with the locking members or keepers held therein;

Figure 2, a fragmentary side elevation of the tool;

Figure 3, an enlarged view of a section taken partly beneath the heads of the pivot pins S and partly along the axis of the handle;

Figure 4, a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5, a detail fragmentary view of the forward end of the tool and the locking members or keepers engaged thereby;

Figure 6, a sectional View on the line 6 6 vof' Figure 5, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 7, a perspective view of one of the clips; and

Figure 8, a side elevation showing the forward end portion of one of the levers 1.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, my invention comprises a relatively immovable sleeve or body consisting of a collar l immovably mounted on the rear end of sleeve bearing 2. Collar I is formed with a pair of preferably integral o-ppositely disposed axially outwardly offset rigid lugs or arms 3. Mounted in said sleeve bearing 2 forreciprocatory or axial movement therein is a rigid piston` or rod 4 the forward end of which is preferably screw-threaded.

Rigidly mounted on the forward screw-threaded end of rod or piston ll5 for movement therewith is a cross-head consisting of a pair of similarly shaped spaced parallel registering plates or members or pieces 5 preferably rigidly connected together at their rear end portions by means of an integral bridge 33 formed with a screw-threaded hole to receive and be mounted on the screwthreaded forward end of rod or piston 4. Each of the plates 5 is formed with a pair of laterally extending oppositely disposed slots (i and 5', the slots of each said plate being in registry with the corresponding slots of the other plate. Preferably the slots (i on one of the plates 5 are somewhat larger than the corresponding slots 5 of the other of said plates for reasons hereinafter set forth.

Pivotally mounted on the cross-head are a pair of opposed non-crossing levers or arms l having bearings or holes or bores formed in their medial portions, said medial portions being disposed between the plates 5 with their respective bearings in registry with the respective registering sets of slots G-G.

In the preferred form of my invention the arms kor levers 'l are constructed of stamped sheet metal, the inner portion of each said lever being bent axially at right angles to the remainder thereof and laterally offset slightly away from the other of said levers so that the clips il mounted on the inner end portions of each of said levers may come together or approach each other with their meeting edges, and the meeting edges of the keepers A engaged thereby, in parallel relation. Preferably the forward ends of the levers or arms 'l are bifurcated as shown in the drawing and one of the furcations of each forward or front end is formed with a transverse slot I6, as shown in Figure 8 of the drawing.

Mounted at the forward end of each lever is one of said keeper-engaging or lock-engaging clips Il comprising an arcuate body I8 adapted to fit about and engage the lower side portion of a locking member or keeper A, Extending longitudinally in opposite directions from the respective ends of said body i8 and preferably integral therewith are a pair of resilient members l@ which are bent back on themselves so that their tip ends I9 might resiliently engage the side or perpendicular edges a of keeper A to resiliently press and hold the latter in engagement with arcuate body I8. In order to prevent locking inembers or keepers A from sliding lengthwise therethrough, the clips Il are preferably provided at their bottom edges with a plurality of laterally inwardly extending bottom edge engaging and supporting members or lugs or projections 2U. It is to be noted that neither the side edge engaging portions or members I9 nor the bottom edge engaging lugs 2i) extend beyond, or even as far as, the radially inner edges of keepers A and hence cannot interfere with the application thereof to a valve stem.

Preferably clip I1 is attached to or mounted on lever 'l by means of a pair of preferably integral gripping lugs or members 2l which are received around the bifurcated forward end thereof so that the furcations thereof may be resiliently pressed toward each other and by their tendency to expand outwardly serve to firmly maintain the clip Il in position. One of the gripping members 2| is preferably received in transverse slot I6 to prevent relative axial movement of said clip.

Extending through the respective slots S- and bearings or bores of the plates 5 and levers or arms 'l respectively, for the purpose of pivotally mounting and retaining the levers 'l between said plates E, are a pair of laterally adjustable pivot pins S. Each of the aforementioned pivot pins 9 preferably consists of a relatively large diameter head lil, a slightly reduced diameter portion i i adjacent said head to t into one of said large slots 6, this reduced portion being formed with oppositely flattened sides l2 to slidably engage the sides of slot 6, a round crosssectional bearing portion I3 to be received in the bore of one of the levers 'l mounted thereon, a screw-threaded end la to be received in and extend through the registering slot 6' in the other of said plates, and an adjusting and position maintaining nut i 5 to receive said screw-threaded f end I4. In the preferred form of the invention it is desirable that the flattened sides i2 of pivot pins 9 should present as large an area as possible to engage the sides of slots 6 and thus more efliciently prevent rotation of said pivot pin in said slot during the tightening or loosening of adjusting nut I5. One way of accomplishing this is to have the reduced portion of relatively large diameter so that the flattened sides thereof will be of comparatively large area, which in turn requires that slots 6 be of relatively large size, as shown. Slots 6 may be of somewhat smaller size since they need only be Wide enough to receive screw-threaded ends i4 of the pivot pins.

From the above it may be seen that the pivot pins Q may be adjusted by loosening nuts l5, moving the pivot pins laterally to any desired position in their respective slots, and tightening nuts IE to maintain said pivot pins in position. Thus the amount of movement of the moving parts of the device, in particular the amount of spreading movement or degree of pivoting or rotation of levers l, may be adjusted in accordance with the available space, the size and arrangement of the valve stem to which the keepers are to be applied, and/ or the convenience of the user, A pair of rigid connecting links 22, each said link being pivotally connected at one end to the rear end of one of said levers l' by means of rivets 23, and the other end of each said link f within sleeve or sleeve bearing 2. Whenever said .Y

rod 4 is moved forwardly out of said sleeve 2 carrying with it the cross-head and levers 'l mounted thereon, the movement serves to pull together the outer or rear ends of the levers l at their junction with the connecting links 22 and spread apart the forward ends of said levers. Rearward movement of said piston 4 causes the forward ends of the respective levers to approach each other.

It may be seen from the above that the device may be operated by any means serving to move the rear ends of levers 'i together, such for instance as by pressing forward and inward on the ends of said levers at their junction with links 22, as will readily be apparent from inspection of the accompanying drawing.

A flexible handle or tubular guide or casing 25 is attached at one end to the rearwardly extending end of collar I by any suitable means, such as by bending opposite portions of said collar or the end thereof into engagement with the sides of said handle or casing or prick punching the same. Handle or casing 25 preferably consists of a helical wire coil with preferably contiguous spirals. Handle 25 is preferably provided at its outer end with a finger piece which may consist of a centrally apertured disc 26, a sleeve 2l being passed through the aperture of said disc until the rear face of said disc abuts against the annular projection 28 formed on said sleeve, the inner end 29 of said sleeve being turned back against the inner or forward face of said disc to hold the same firmly in place. The finger piece and handle are assembled by sliding the sleeve 2'! over the latter and flattening portio-ns of said sleeve against the sides of said handle.

Disposed within said handle 25 for relative axial movement is a flexible inner cable or core 3l] preferably consisting of a closely wound incompressible wire helix which is extremely flexible laterally but is unyielding with respect to endwise thrust against it. The outer end of said inner cable extends rearwardly from the outer or rear end of handle 25 and is form-ed with a ringer piece 3! at its rear end. The forward end of said cable or core 30 is anchored in or firmly attached to the rear end of piston ll by any suitable means, as by fusing the rear end of said piston about said cable or by soldering, to cause axial movement of said piston or rod.

Normally' the two linger pieces 25 and 3l are resiliently held apart by means of a helical coil spring 32 disposed about inner cable Sil with its ends respectively bearing against the adjacent faces of each of said finger pieces.

In the present instance the cable or inner member is a thrust member which, by means of its thrust, actuates the piston and the handle or casing .25 takes the pull or reaction` therefrom. The casing 25 must therefore be inextensible in ordinary use, and to this end it is formed from wire which is of such stiffness and size as to withstand any pull or reaction resulting from the normal use of the device without becoming extended, although the casing need not be inextensible against any other or greater force than the amount necessary to operate the device.

In the use of the invention for the insertion of split conical locking members or keepers A about a valve stem, one of the keepers or cone halves A is placed in each of the clips ll and retained therein by the resilient pressure of members I9 adjacent the bottom portions thereof, the upper portions of said keepers being left free so that the valve spring retainer or washer may be brought down thereover without interference` In applying the locking members to the valve stem the tool may be used as either a twohanded or one-handed tool as desired and depending on the amount of space available and other conditions.

In its preferred use as a two-handed tool, one hand is used to position the forward end thereof adjacent the valve stem, the valve spring and washer being maintained in raised position by a valve lifter or other suitable means, and the other hand being used to operate the finger pieces 25 and 3l by pressing them together to separate the locking members A so that they may be fitted about the valve stem. Upon releasing the pressure on the finger pieces the locking members or keepers A are brought into position about the valve stem whereupon the valve spring is released to permit the retainer thereof to move down over said keepers. The tool of the present invention may be used to hold the locking members or keepers in place all during the above operation until the clips Il are contacted by the descending washer or retainer and forced off the bottom of the locking members or keepers A, at which time it may be withdrawn from the valve stem.

In the use of the tool as above described it is to be noted that the handle or casing 25 may be bent around any obstructions without in any way affecting the operation thereof.

When the device is to be used as a one-handed tool the rear pivoted ends of levers 'l at their juncture with connecting links 22 are grasped between the thumb and forefinger of one hand and pressed forwardly and inwardly to separate the locking members so that the same may be placed in position on opposite sides of the valve stem. When in proper position, the pressure exerted by the thumb and forefinger may be released to allow the locking members to come together in proper position about the Valve stem. In the above use it is obvious that the flexible handle or casing 25 will be able to follow wherever the hand of the user may be inserted and twisted or bent around any obstructions so as to allow easy positioning of the locking members.

I claim:

l. A keeper inserter comprising a relatively irnmovable sleeve bearing, a collar mounted on the rear end of said sleeve bearing, said collar being formed with a. pair of oppositely disposed axially outwardly offset lugs, a piston mounted for reciprocating motion within said sleeve bearing, the forward end of said piston being screw threaded, a cross-head mounted on the forward end of said piston, said cross-head consisting of a pair of similarly shaped spaced parallel registering plates, each said plate being formed with a pair of laterally extending oppositely disposed slots, the slots of each said plate being in registry with the corresponding slots of the other plate, an integral bridge connecting the rear ends of said plates, said bridge being formed with a screw-threaded hole to receive the screwthreaded end of said piston, a pair of opposed non-crossing levers having bearing holes formed in their medial portions, said medial portions being disposed between said plates with their bearing holes in registry with the respective registering sets of slots formed therein, a pair of resilient keeper-engaging clips respectively mounted at the forward ends of said levers, a pair of laterally adjustable pivot pins extending through the respective slots and bearing holes of said plates and levers respectively to pivotally mount said levers between said plates, and a pair of rigid connecting links, each said link being pivoted at one end to the rear end of one of said levers and at the other end to one of said lugs, in combination with operating means comprising a flexible inextensible handle attached at its forward end to said collar, a exible incompressible cable disposed concentrically within said handle for axial movement therein, the forward end of said cable being attached to the rear end of said piston and the rear end of said cable extending rearwardly for a short distance from the end of said handle, a pair of finger pieces mounted at the respective rear ends of said handle and cable, and a compression spring disposed about said cable with its ends respectively bearing against the adjacent faces of said finger pieces to normally resiliently hold the same apart.

2. A keeper inserter comprising a relatively immovable sleeve, said sleeve being formed with a pair of oppositely disposed axially outwardly offset lugs, a piston mounted for reciprocating movement within said sleeve, a cross-head mounted on the forward end of said piston, said cross-head being formed with laterally extending oppositely disposed slots, a pair of opposed non-crossing levers having bearing holes formed in their medial portions, a pair of resilient keeper engaging clips respectively mounted at the forward ends of said levers, laterally adjustable-pivot pins extending through the respective slots and bearing holes of said cross-head and levers respectively to pivotally mount said levers on said cross-head, and a pair of rigid connecting links, each said link being pivoted at one end to the rear end of one of said levers and at the other end to said sleeve, in combination with means comprising a flexible inextensible handle attached at its forward end to said sleeve, and a flexible incompressible cable disposed for axial movement within said handle, the forward end of said cable being attached to the rear end of said piston, and a pair of operating inger pieces mounted at the respective rear ends of said handle and cable.

3. A keeper inserter comprising a relatively immovable sleeve, a piston mounted for reciprocating movement within said sleeve, a cross-head mounted on the forward end of said piston, said cross-head being formed with laterally extending oppositely disposed slots, a pair of opposed noncrossing levers, resilient keeper-engaging clips respectively mounted at the forward ends of said levers, laterally adjustable means disposed in the respective slots oi said cross-head to pivotally mount said levers thereon, and rigid connecting links each said link being pivotally connected at one end to the rear end of one of said levers and at the other end to said sleeve, in combination with means comprising a flexible inextensible handle attached at its forward end to said sleeve, and a flexible incompressible cable disposed for axial movement within said handle, the forward end of said cable being attached to the rear end of said piston.

4. A keeper inserter comprising a sleeve, a piston mounted for reciprocating movement within said sleeve, a cross-head mounted on the forward end of said piston, said cross-head being formed with laterally extending oppositely disposed slots,

a pair of opposed non-crossing levers, laterally adjustable means disposed within the respective slots of said cross-head to pivotally mount said levers thereon, and rigid connecting links each said link being pivotally connected at one end to the rear end of one of said levers and at the other end to said sleeve, in combination with a flexible handle attached to said sleeve.

5. A keeper inserter comprising a sleeve, a piston mounted for reciprocating movement within said sleeve, and a cross-head mounted on the forward end of said piston, in combination with a pair of opposed non-crossing levers medially pivoted to said cross-head, and connecting links pivotally connected to said sleeve and the respective rear ends of said levers.

6. A keeper inserter comprising a sleeve, a piston mounted for reciprocating movement Within said sleeve, a cross-head mounted on the forward end of said piston, and laterally adjustable pivots carried by said cross-head, in combination with a pair of opposed non-crossing levers respectively medially mounted on said pivots, and connecting links pivotally connected to said sleeve and the respective rear ends of said levers.

7. A keeper inserter comprising a sleeve, a piston mounted for reciprocating movement within said sleeve, a cross-head mounted on the forward end of said piston, said cross-head being formed with laterally extending oppositely disposed slots, a pair of opposed non-crossing levers, laterally adjustable means disposed within the respective slots of said cross-head to pivotally mount said levers thereon, and rigid connecting links, each said link being pivotally connected at one end to the .rear end of one of said levers and at the other end to said sleeve.

8. A keeper inserter comprising a lever formed with a bifurcated end, one of the furcations of said end having a transverse slot formed in its edge, in combination with a keeper engaging clip, and lever gripping members carried by said clip and extending tightly about the bifurcated end portion of said lever to resiliently compress the furcations thereof, one of said gripping members being received in said transverse slot'l to prevent longitudinal movement of said clip relative to said lever.

HARRY W. KULP. 

